Chapter 1: That Those Things Which Are Spoken of Christ Do Profit Us by the Secret Working of the Holy Ghost

Now it is to be seen how those good things come to us, which the Father has given to his only begotten Son, not for his own private use, but to enrich those that were without them and needed them. And first this is to be learned, that so long as Christ is outside of us, and we are severed from him, whatever he suffered or did for the salvation of mankind is unprofitable and nothing avails for us. Therefore that he may impart to us those things that he has received from his Father, it is necessary that he become ours, and dwell in us. And for that cause he is called our head, and the firstborn among many brethren: and on the other side it is said, that we are grafted into him, and did put on him. For (as I have before said) all that ever he possesses belongs nothing to us, until we grow together into one with him. But although it be true that we obtain this by faith: yet inasmuch as we see that not all without difference do embrace this imparting of Christ, which is offered by the Gospel, therefore very reason teaches us to climb up higher, and to inquire of the secret effectual working of the Spirit, by which it is brought to pass, that we enjoy Christ and all his good things. I have before treated of the eternal Godhead and essence of the Spirit; at this present let us be content with this one special article, that Christ so came in water and blood that the Spirit should testify of him, lest the salvation that he has purchased should slip away from us. For as there are alleged three witnesses in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Spirit, so are there also three in earth, Water, Blood and the Spirit. And not without cause is the testimony of the Spirit twice repeated, which we feel to be engraved in our hearts in place of a seal: whereby it comes to pass, that it seals the washing and sacrifice of Christ. After which meaning Peter also says, that the faithful are chosen in sanctification of the Spirit to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. By which words he tells us, that to the intent the shedding of that holy blood should not become void, our souls are cleansed with it by the secret watering of the holy Spirit. Accordingly Paul also, speaking of cleansing and justification, says that we are made partakers of them both in the name of Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. Finally this is the sum, that the holy Spirit is the bond whereby Christ effectually binds us to him. For proof thereof also serves all that we have taught in the last book before this, concerning his anointing.

But that this, being a matter specially worthy to be known, may be made more certainly evident, we must hold this in mind, that Christ came furnished with the holy Spirit after a certain peculiar manner, to the end that he might sever us from the world, and gather us together into the hope of an eternal inheritance. For this cause he is called the Spirit of sanctification, because he does not only quicken and nourish us with that general power which appears as well in mankind as in all other living creatures, but also is in us the root and seed of heavenly life. Therefore the Prophets do principally commend the kingdom of Christ by this title of prerogative, that then should flourish more plentiful abundance of the Spirit. And notable above all the rest is that place of Joel: In that day I will pour of my Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). For though the Prophet there seems to restrain the gifts of the Spirit to the office of prophesying, yet under a figure he means, that God by the enlightening of his Spirit will make those his scholars which before were unskillful and void of all heavenly doctrine. Now inasmuch as God the Father does for his Son's sake give us his holy Spirit, and yet has left with him the whole fullness thereof, to the end that he should be a minister and distributor of his liberality: he is sometimes called the Spirit of the Father, and sometimes the Spirit of the Son. You are not (says Paul) in the flesh, but in the Spirit, for the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. And hereupon he puts us in hope of full renewing, for that he who raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken our mortal bodies because of his Spirit dwelling in us. For it is not absurdity, that to the Father be ascribed the praise of his own gifts, whereof he is the author: and yet that the same be ascribed to Christ, with whom the gifts of the Spirit are left, that he may give them to those that be his. Therefore he calls all those that thirst to come to him to drink. And Paul teaches that the Spirit is distributed to every one, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And it is to be known, that he is called the Spirit of Christ, not only in respect that the eternal Word of God is with the same Spirit joined with the Father, but also according to his person of mediator, because if he had not had that power, he had come to us in vain. After which meaning he is called the second Adam given from heaven, to be a quickening Spirit: whereby Paul compares the singular life that the Son of God breathes into those that are his, that they may be alone with him, with the natural life that is also common to the reprobate. Likewise where he wishes to the faithful the favor of Christ and the love of God, he joins therewith the common partaking of the Spirit, without which no man can taste neither of the fatherly favor of God, nor of the bountifulness of Christ. As also he says in another place: The love of God is poured out into our hearts by the holy Spirit that is given us.

And here it shall be profitable to note, with what titles the Scripture sets out the holy Spirit, where it treats of the beginning and whole restoring of our salvation. First he is called the Spirit of adoption, because he is a witness to us of the free goodwill of God, whereby God the Father has embraced us in his beloved only begotten Son, that he might be a father to us, and does encourage us to pray boldly, indeed and does minister to us words to cry without fear: Abba, Father. By the same reason he is called the earnest pledge, and seal of our inheritance, because he so gives life from heaven to us wandering in the world, and being like dead men, that we may be assured that our soul is in safety under the faithful keeping of God. For which cause he is also called life, by reason of righteousness. And forasmuch as by his secret watering he makes us fruitful to bring forth the buds of righteousness, he is often called water, as in Isaiah: All you that thirst, come to the waters. Again: I will pour out my spirit upon the thirsty, and floods upon the dry land — with which agrees that saying of Christ, which I did even now allege: If any thirst, let him come to me. Albeit sometimes he is so called by reason of his power to purge and cleanse, as in Ezekiel, where the Lord promises clean waters with which he will wash his people from filthiness. And forasmuch as he restores and nourishes into lively quickness those upon whom he has poured the liquor of his grace, he is therefore called by the name of oil and anointing. Again, because in continually seething out and burning up the vices of our lust, he sets our hearts on fire with the love of God and zeal of godliness, he is also for this effect worthily called fire. Finally he is described to us as a fountain, from where all heavenly riches flow to us, or the hand of God, with which he uses his power — because by the breath of his power he so breathes divine life into us, that we are not now stirred by ourselves, but ruled by his stirring and moving. So that if there be any good things in us, they are the fruits of his grace; but our own gifts without him are darkness of mind and perverseness of heart. This point is set out plainly enough, that until our minds are bent upon the holy Spirit, Christ lies in a manner idle, because we coldly observe him without us, indeed and far away from us. But we know that he profits none other but those whose head he is, and the first begotten among brethren, and those who have put on him. This joining only makes it so that, as concerning us, he has come not unprofitably with the name of Savior. And for proof hereof serves that holy marriage whereby we are made flesh of his flesh, and bones of his bones, indeed and all one with him. But by the Spirit only he makes himself one with us; by the grace and power of the same Spirit we are made his members, so that he contains us under him, and we again possess him.

But forasmuch as faith is his principal work, to it are for the most part referred all those things that we commonly find spoken to express his force and working, because he brings us into the light of the Gospel by nothing but by faith. As John the Baptist teaches, that this prerogative is given to those who believe in Christ, that they be the children of God, who are born not of flesh and blood, but of God — where setting God against flesh and blood, he affirms it to be a supernatural gift that they receive Christ by faith, who otherwise should remain subject to their own infidelity. Like to which is that answer of Christ: Flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. These things I do now but shortly touch, because I have already treated of them at large. And like also is that saying of Paul, that the Ephesians were sealed up with the holy spirit of promise. For Paul shows that he is an inward teacher, by whose working the promise of salvation pierces into our minds, which otherwise should but beat the air or our ears. Likewise when he says that the Thessalonians were chosen of God in the sanctification of the spirit and believing of the truth — by which joining of them together, he briefly admonishes that faith itself proceeds from nothing else but from the holy Spirit. Which thing John sets out more plainly, saying: We know that there abides in us of the spirit which he has given us. Again: By this we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. Therefore Christ promised to his disciples the Spirit of truth which the world cannot receive, that they might be able to receive the heavenly wisdom. And he assigns to the same spirit this proper office, to put them in mind of those things that he had taught them by mouth. Because in vain should the light show itself to the blind, unless the same spirit of understanding should open the eyes of their mind. So a man may rightly call the holy Spirit the key by which the treasures of the heavenly kingdom are opened to us, and may call his enlightening the eyesight of our mind to see. Therefore does Saint Paul so much commend the ministry of the spirit, because teachers should cry without profiting, unless Christ himself the inward master should draw with his spirit those that are given him by his Father. Therefore, as we have said, that perfect salvation is found in the person of Christ — so that we may be made partakers thereof, he does baptize us in the holy Spirit and fire, enlightening us into the faith of his Gospel, and so new-begetting us, that we may be new creatures, and purging us from unholy filthiness, does dedicate us to be holy temples to God.

Now we must see how the good things the Father has given to His only begotten Son — not for His own private use, but to enrich those who were without them and in need — actually come to us. First, this must be understood: as long as Christ remains outside of us and we are separated from Him, whatever He suffered or did for the salvation of humanity is of no profit and does no good for us. Therefore, so that He may share with us what He has received from the Father, it is necessary that He become ours and dwell in us. For this reason He is called our head and the firstborn among many brothers — and conversely, it is said that we are grafted into Him and have put Him on. For as I have said before, everything He possesses belongs nothing to us until we are joined with Him into one. But although this is obtained through faith, we see that not all people equally embrace this sharing in Christ that is offered through the Gospel. Reason therefore directs us to look further — to inquire into the secret effective working of the Spirit, by which it is brought about that we enjoy Christ and all His good things. I have treated elsewhere of the eternal divinity and essence of the Spirit. For now, let us be content with this one point: that Christ came in water and blood so that the Spirit might testify of Him — so that the salvation He purchased would not slip away from us. For just as there are three witnesses in heaven — the Father, the Word, and the Spirit — so also there are three on earth: water, blood, and the Spirit. The testimony of the Spirit is not without reason repeated twice — we feel it engraved in our hearts as a seal. By this it seals to us the washing and sacrifice of Christ. In the same sense Peter says that the faithful are chosen through the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ — telling us that so that the shedding of that holy blood would not be wasted, our souls are cleansed by it through the Spirit's secret inner work. Accordingly, Paul, speaking of cleansing and justification, says we are made partakers of both in the name of Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. The sum of it is this: the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectively joins us to Himself. Everything we taught in the previous book about His anointing serves as proof of this.

But since this is a matter especially worth knowing, it must be made more clearly evident. We must keep in mind that Christ came equipped with the Holy Spirit in a particular and unique way — so that He might separate us from the world and gather us together into the hope of an eternal inheritance. For this reason the Spirit is called the Spirit of sanctification — because He does not merely enliven and sustain us with the general power that appears in all of humanity and every living creature, but is in us the root and seed of heavenly life. Therefore the prophets commend the kingdom of Christ above all by this mark of distinction: that a more abundant outpouring of the Spirit would flourish in that day. Outstanding among all is Joel's passage: 'In those days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh' (Joel 2:28). Though the prophet seems to limit the Spirit's gifts to the office of prophecy, he means figuratively that God by the illumination of His Spirit will make students of those who were previously untaught and empty of all heavenly understanding. Now since God the Father gives us His Holy Spirit for His Son's sake — and yet has left the whole fullness of the Spirit with Christ so that He might be the agent and distributor of His generosity — the Spirit is sometimes called the Spirit of the Father and sometimes the Spirit of the Son. Paul says: 'You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.' And from this he builds our hope of complete renewal — that He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in us. It is no contradiction that the praise for God's gifts is attributed to the Father, who is their author, and yet also attributed to Christ, with whom the gifts of the Spirit are entrusted so that He may give them to those who are His. He therefore calls all who are thirsty to come to Him and drink. Paul teaches that the Spirit is distributed to each one according to the measure of Christ's gift. It should be known that He is called the Spirit of Christ not only because the eternal Word of God shares the same Spirit with the Father, but also according to His role as Mediator — for without that power He would have come to us in vain. In this sense He is called the second Adam, given from heaven to be a life-giving Spirit — by which Paul compares the unique life that the Son of God breathes into those who are His, setting them apart with Him, with the natural life that is common even to the reprobate. Likewise, when Paul wishes the faithful the grace of Christ and the love of God, he adds to it the fellowship of the Spirit — without which no one can taste either the Father's favor or the generosity of Christ. As he also says elsewhere: 'The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.'

Here it will be helpful to note the titles Scripture assigns to the Holy Spirit when discussing the beginning and full restoration of our salvation. First, He is called the Spirit of adoption — because He is a witness to us of God's free goodwill, by which God the Father has embraced us in His beloved only begotten Son so that He might be a Father to us. The Spirit encourages us to pray boldly and supplies us with the words to cry without fear: 'Abba, Father.' For the same reason He is called the earnest pledge and seal of our inheritance — because He so breathes heavenly life into us as we wander in this world, deadened, that we may be assured our souls are safely kept in God's care. For this reason He is also called life, because of righteousness. Since by His secret inner work He makes us fruitful to bring forth the buds of righteousness, He is often called water — as in Isaiah: 'All you who are thirsty, come to the waters.' And again: 'I will pour out My Spirit on the thirsty, and streams on the dry ground' — which agrees with Christ's words just cited: 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me.' Though sometimes He is called water because of His power to purge and cleanse — as in Ezekiel, where the Lord promises clean water with which He will wash His people from their filth. Since He restores and nourishes into living freshness those on whom He has poured the flow of His grace, He is therefore also called oil and anointing. Again, because He continually burns up and consumes the vices of our desires, setting our hearts ablaze with love for God and zeal for godliness, He is fittingly called fire. Finally, He is described as a fountain from which all heavenly riches flow to us — or as the hand of God by which God exercises His power — because through the breath of His power He so breathes divine life into us that we are no longer moved by ourselves but governed by His impulse and movement. So whatever good things are in us are fruits of His grace. Without Him, our own nature produces only darkness of mind and corruption of heart. This point is made plainly enough: until our minds are directed to the Holy Spirit, Christ lies in a manner idle — because we view Him coldly as one outside of us, indeed far away from us. We know that He benefits only those of whom He is the head and firstborn, those who have put Him on. Only this union makes it so that, as far as we are concerned, He has come with the name Savior not in vain. As proof of this serves that sacred union by which we are made flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones — indeed, one with Him. But it is by the Spirit alone that He joins Himself to us. By the grace and power of that same Spirit we are made His members, so that He holds us under Him and we in turn possess Him.

Since faith is the Spirit's principal work, most of what we find said about His power and operation is referred to faith — for He brings us into the light of the Gospel through faith alone. As John the Baptist teaches, the privilege of being children of God — born not of flesh and blood but of God — is given to those who believe in Christ. Setting God against flesh and blood, he affirms that it is a supernatural gift to receive Christ by faith, for people would otherwise remain captive to their own unbelief. Similar is Christ's answer: 'Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.' I touch on these things briefly here since I have already treated them at length. Similar also is Paul's statement that the Ephesians were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit — showing that the Spirit is the inner teacher by whose working the promise of salvation penetrates our minds, which otherwise would remain merely words in the air or to the ear. Likewise, when Paul says the Thessalonians were chosen by God through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth — by joining these two things together he briefly points out that faith itself comes from the Holy Spirit alone. John states this more plainly: 'We know that He abides in us by the Spirit He has given us.' And again: 'By this we know that we dwell in Him and He in us — because He has given us of His Spirit.' Therefore Christ promised His disciples the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, so that they might be able to receive heavenly wisdom. He assigned to the same Spirit this specific task: to remind them of all He had taught them by mouth. For the light would show itself to the blind in vain unless the same Spirit of understanding opened the eyes of their minds. So one may rightly call the Holy Spirit the key by which the treasures of the heavenly kingdom are opened to us, and call His illuminating work the eyesight of our minds. This is why Paul so highly commends the ministry of the Spirit — because teachers would shout without effect unless Christ Himself, as the inner teacher, drew to Himself by His Spirit those given to Him by the Father. Therefore, as we have said, perfect salvation is found in the person of Christ. So that we might become partakers of it, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire, illuminating us to faith in His Gospel, thus regenerating us so that we become new creatures — and purging us from every unclean defilement, He consecrates us as holy temples to God.